Author: Diana Paul
Last Days of Vietnam (2015), a PBS documentary in
the American Experience television series, is produced and directed by Rory
Kennedy, and was a 2015 Academy Award nominee for Best
Documentary Feature.
Forty-five years ago–on April 29, 1975-the US
war ceased in South Vietnam. As North Vietnamese army tanks and troops moved
into Saigon, the US ambassador fiercely resisted an evacuation. But a large number of U.S. diplomats and military operatives argued
for an orderly withdrawal. With no
congressional support, the White House ordered American...
“Ozark” (Season 3): Narcos in Missouri
Ozark has set itself apart as one of Netflix’s most popular
original series, and this season, in my humble opinion, is the best. (See my
reviews of Season 1
-September 2017) and Season
2-October 2018)
In this third season, Ozark has book-ended the journey that began with Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) inventing a plan to launder the Navarro cartel’s drug money in the Ozarks and evolves into the journey of Wendy Byrde (Laura Linney) inventing a plan to create legitimate businesses.
The Byrdes have finally broken
bad. In Season One Wendy Byrde is
primarily...
“Valhalla Murders”—The House of the Dead
Kudos to Netflix for another great Nordic noir production. In this eight-episode series, Netflix’s first Icelandic co-production, we have a crime thriller about a gruesome serial killer whose murders go back over thirty-five years. Valhalla Murders is actually based upon a series of murders that took place in Reykjavik. There is some uneven pacing, but it is over shadowed by the unexpected twists and turns of this Nordic murder mystery.
In the
opening scene the main character, Detective Kata, is severely wounded and on the verge of death. Immediately Valhalla Murders
flashes...
The Stranger–or Estranged
Another series to binge during this C-virus pandemic is Netflix’s The Stranger.
Produced
by Harlan Coben and based on his novel of the same name, this newly released
British series opens with a teenage drug fest complete with bonfire and more
than a few hints of mayhem. Part mystery, but most of all, family drama especially
between fathers and their children, The Stranger quickly turns seemingly
content lives into ones festering with secrets.
Adam Price (Richard Armitage), one of several main and deeply flawed characters, is approached by a beautiful stranger (Hannah...
“Earthquake Bird”—An Unpredictable Flight
Based on the titular novel by Susanna Jones, Earthquake Bird
was released in November 2019. A
psychological thriller with film noir features reminding this viewer of Alfred
Hitchcock, Earthquake Bird is all about
guilt and the insidious nature and burden of carrying it. More slow-paced with a scene or two
reminiscent of Memento, this film captures the day-to-day life of guilt
and jealousy, pulling back the curtain on what damage and unpredictability can
do.
In 1989 an American woman is discovered dismembered in Tokyo. Lucy Fly (Alicia Vikander), a Swedish...
“Mr. Sunshine” (2018): Jane Austen meets Downton Abbey
Viewers are treated, in this 24-episode series, Mr. Sunshine, to a glimpse of Korean history that few outside of Korea will be familiar with . Screenwriting legend, Kim Eun Sook, has created an intricate historical romance set in 1871, when a US military ship docked in Korea, wishes to expand into Asia for the exploitation of natural resources and land. We first are introduced to Mr. Sunshine , Eugene Choi (Lee Byung-hun), as a nine-year old Korean boy born into a family of slaves. In a dramatic turn of events, the little boy runs away with an American missionary to New York...